Blake Lane Park Officially Transferred To Park Authority

OAKTON, VA — Blake Lane Park is set to remain a green space for the Oakton community after a Board of Supervisors vote Tuesday.

The board unanimously voted to transfer ownership of the land at 10033 Blake Lane in Oakton to the Fairfax County Park Authority. The transfer of ownership came with deed restrictions to limit it to park uses.

The site had previously been considered for a new elementary school, but members of the Save Blake Lane group advocated for keeping Blake Lane Park as a park. In place of a new elementary school on the site, Providence District Representative Karl Frisch's proposal to repurpose Dunn Loring Administration Center received school board approval.

According to a staff presentation to the board, the 10-acre property was previously owned by the Fairfax County School Board for a potential school site. But since there was no immediate need for a school on the land, the school board entered into an agreement with the park authority to allow for recreational space. That site became Blake Lane Park, and the park authority added two athletic fields, a dog park, butterfly garden, gravel parking lot and open play area.

In 2006, the school board transferred Blake Lane Park ownership to the Board of Supervisors in exchange for bond funding for school construction. The park authority recently requested ownership be transferred from the board so it can preserve the recreational space and more easily develop park features.

Various residents testified to the board in support of transferring ownership to the park authority, citing the benefits of preserving the green space. Jennifer Pradas with Save Blake Lane Park praised Frisch and school board members for finding an alternative for a new elementary school by repurposing Dunn Loring Administration Center. She urged the board to transfer ownership of the park to the park authority, citing the One Fairfax goal to provide an equitable parks and recreation system. She spoke to the benefits of Blake Lane Park, one of two parks for Oakton residents on the south side of Route 123.

Supervisor Dalia Palchik introduced the motion and spoke in support of the park authority receiving ownership of Blake Lane Park.

"After years of community discussion and work from the Board of Supervisors, the park authority and FCPS, I'm very pleased today to transfer the property of Blake Lane Park officially to the park authority," said Palchik. "I really want to thank the community members who advocated for this...Chairman McKay for his leadership and county staff and our county staff and my colleagues on the current and previous school board who worked collaboratively on this initiative. But what's most exciting about this move is that we can now work with the park authority to officially begin a community-focused master planning process to update the plan that was last updated in 1999."